Hair Replacement Recovery

Table of Contents

• After Your Hair Transplant
• Advanced and Supplemental Treatments
• Minimal Scarring
• Satisfying Hair Results
• Prolonging Hair Results
• Arocha Hair Restoration and Transplant Center

Hair restoration is a rewarding experience that can produce a more youthful hairline and thick, dense hair throughout the scalp. Whether you choose to undergo follicular unit transplantation (FUT) or follicular unit excision (FUE), both procedures will lead to natural results and total hair restoration.

At Arocha Hair Restoration and Transplant Center, Dr. Bernardino Arocha and his expert staff strive to provide their patients with extraordinary care and transformative results. Preparing for your hair transplant recovery is an essential part of the hair restoration process and knowing what to expect after treatment will help put your mind at ease. Dr. Arocha and his team carefully lay out aftercare guidelines that allow their patients to experience a comfortable hair transplant recovery that yields optimal results.

After Your Hair Transplant

Hair transplantation surgery is completed on an outpatient basis, meaning patients are free to return home immediately after their appointment. Following the procedure, the scalp will be reddened, sore and sensitive to the touch. Common side effects include scabbing, itching and numbness that will persist for a couple of weeks.

Hair transplant patients will need to avoid touching their newly-transplanted hair until the grafts heal, about one to two weeks after surgery. Patients can shower the next day but will need to avoid direct water pressure on the scalp and may not shampoo their hair until Dr. Arocha deems it okay. Brushing and combing will need to be avoided as well so as not to uproot the new hair. Hats can be worn during this time to cover up visible effects of the procedure, so long as they are not overly tight.

Friction and stress on the scalp can have detrimental effects, so patients will need to wait two to three weeks before resuming strenuous activities and exercise. Activities that stretch or pull on the scalp can be particularly harmful to patients who undergo FUT, as too much stress on the incision can cause damage to the sutures.

Hair transplantation surgery is a relatively minor procedure and patients may feel well enough to return to work the very next day. Most patients choose to take at least a few days to one week off from work for immediate side effects to diminish. Hair surrounding the harvest sites will also be shortened and patients may wish to take some time off for hair to grow back.

Advanced and Supplemental Treatments

Follow-up or Supplemental Therapy can be used to accelerate recovery and results following hair transplantation surgery. Dr. Arocha may offer additional modalities of therapy to his hair transplant patients to provide faster results and more comfortable recovery, as well as to help any patients who are interested in nonsurgical methods for combating hair loss.

If you are interested in using Advanced Therapy to supplement your hair transplant procedure, let Dr. Arocha know during your pre-surgery consultation.

Minimal Scarring

Both FUT and FUE result in minimal scarring which will not impact results. The incision from the strip removal performed during FUT will be closed with a special technique that allows hair to grow seamlessly through and around the scar. The incision will take a few weeks to heal over, at which point patients can resume exercise and other strenuous activities. The incision will continue to mature for 18 months and will eventually fade to a thin, white, horizontal scar.

FUE does not require any incisions. Instead, the donor grafts are harvested using a handheld punch device that removes two to three hairs at a time. After removing the grafts, the punch will leave behind small circular punctures that will scab over and eventually heal without noticeable scarring. Dr. Arocha will spread out the location of the grafts over a large area, ensuring patients will not experience a visible decrease in the density of their hair around the donor sites. The scarring from FUE is minimal and will be covered up easily by surrounding hair growth, making FUE an optimal procedure for patients who prefer to keep their hair short.

Satisfying Hair Results

Hair restoration is a process, and new transplants will take some time to start producing noticeable hair growth. In fact, the transplanted follicles typically shed their hair around two to three weeks after the procedure. The grafts will then enter a resting period for a few months before beginning new growth. Results will first become visible in about six to nine months, although not all of the grafts will produce hair simultaneously.

Final results are typically evident around 12 months after surgery but may take up to 18 months to develop fully. Following hair transplantation surgery, the grafts will continue to produce hair well into the future and will not be affected by the continuation of genetic hair loss. Pre-existing hair located along the hairline and on the top of the scalp will continue to thin out, however, and steps should be taken to fight back against the effects of hair loss.